Ice Targets Los Angeles Homeless Shelter

LOS ANGELES — Immigration officials person been many times spotted extracurricular a Hollywood bum shelter since May, starring unit to travel residents from war-torn countries to work, errands and court.

An executive astatine nan shelter that serves group ages 18 to 24 said she saw 2 Venezuelan men handcuffed and arrested by ICE agents aft they returned to nan shelter from work.

“There was nary conversation,” said nan employee, Lailanie, who asked that her past sanction not beryllium utilized because she feared retribution from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

She said astir half a twelve migration officers went up to nan residents “and put their hands down their backs correct away.”

Homeless shelters look to beryllium different target successful nan Trump administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown, which has resulted successful astir 3,000 arrests successful nan Los Angeles area. They now subordinate Home Depots, 7-Elevens and cannabis farms arsenic locations wherever nan national authorities is carrying retired its wide deportation effort.

In summation to nan Hollywood shelter, work providers person reported seeing migration enforcement astatine shelters successful North Hollywood and San Diego, according to section media.

Immigration officials did not respond to an email asking if bum shelters are being targeted arsenic portion of enforcement efforts.

With much than than 72,300 unhoused people, Los Angeles County is nan epicenter of nan nation’s homelessness crisis. How galore of them are immigrants is chartless because nan federally mandated yearly count does not see citizenship questions.

The brushwood astatine nan Hollywood shelter took spot a fewer weeks earlier President Donald Trump ordered nan National Guard and U.S. Marines to nan region successful consequence to large-scale protests against his deportation efforts.

Service providers successful Los Angeles said nan stepped-up enforcement effort has made their activity much difficult because their clients are consumed by fears of deportation.

Donald Whitehead Jr., executive head of nan National Coalition for nan Homeless, said nan fierce cognition “puts a target” connected nan backs of bum immigrants.

“It villainizes them,” he said.

At different shelter, The People Concern successful downtown Los Angeles, less clients are stopping by to usage showers and different nationalist accommodation because they are acrophobic ICE agents will show up, said CEO John Maceri.

He said moreover U.S. citizens astatine its imperishable lodging installation successful nan San Fernando Valley are hesitant to spell extracurricular because they are acrophobic they will beryllium stopped and questioned by ICE.

“Frankly, anybody who’s dark-skinned, Black and brownish people, but peculiarly dark-skinned brownish people, don’t want to spell out,” Maceri said. “They don’t want to spell to nan market store. A fewer of them are missing work. They’re really scared. This fearfulness facet is really taking effect.”

The highest concentrations of ICE arrests successful Los Angeles person occurred successful nan predominantly Latino neighborhoods of nan San Fernando Valley, according to nan nonprofit Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, aliases CHIRLA.

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, who is from nan San Fernando Valley and was himself handcuffed by national agents past period astatine a news convention by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, said nan numbers bespeak a strategy by nan Trump management to target susceptible communities, not conscionable nan convulsive criminals he promised to apprehension during his campaign.

“This is an management who proudly changed argumentation to prosecute these enforcement actions successful workplaces, successful schools, including simple schools, and houses of worship,” he said. “If they were only focusing connected dangerous, convulsive criminals, you’re not going to find them astatine schools and churches and bum camps.”

A representation released Tuesday by CHIRLA showed that 471 of nan 2,800 arrests made by nan Department of Homeland Security from June 6 to July 20 occurred successful predominantly Latino neighborhoods successful nan San Fernando Valley. It did not specify really galore of nan arrestees were bum people.

CHIRLA President Angelica Salas said nan information highlighted “racial profiling” by national officials, who person denied targeting group based connected their tegument color.

“What makes personification a target of ICE is if they are illegally successful nan U.S. — NOT their tegument color, race, aliases ethnicity,” DHS said successful a caller statement.

On Thursday, Trump signed an executive bid that encourages cities to region bum group from their streets. Whitehead said nan bid could trigger much arrests of bum group and further heighten their fears.

At nan bum shelter wherever nan 2 Venezuelan men were arrested, residents stay connected precocious alert, Lailanie said. Immigrants are now accompanied to work, errands and tribunal appointments by unit successful unmarked cars without nan organization’s logo.

Officials astatine nan shelter requested that its sanction not beryllium utilized retired of fearfulness of retribution by nan Trump administration.

The Venezuelans, who are 20 and 22 years old, hardly speak English and had been surviving astatine nan shelter for a fewer weeks earlier they were arrested, she said.

They had not been location agelong capable to beryllium paired pinch migration lawyers, she said. The 22-year-old was deported, and labor person been incapable to find nan younger man, she said.

Since nan arrests, unit members person witnessed astatine slightest 3 migration stakeouts astir nan facility, 2 shelter labor said.

On 1 occasion, a uniformed serviceman asked to usage a bath wrong nan center. A attraction worker allowed him to participate because he didn’t cognize what other to do, nan 2 labor said.

Staffers person besides seen unmarked achromatic SUVs parked adjacent nan halfway and successful nan parking lot.

Most recently, an asylum-seeker from nan Democratic Republic of Congo who had been surviving astatine nan shelter was arrested aft reporting to migration court, according to 2 group who activity astatine nan shelter.

The labor said that earlier his arrest, he had trouble applying for jobs because he wore an ankle monitor, which was fixed to him erstwhile he presented himself to migration officials.

Confused, he went to migration tribunal and asked officials to region nan monitor, nan 2 labor said, but he was arrested instead. He was taken to nan High Desert Detention Center successful Adelanto, California, while his lawyer pleaded his asylum case, which is still pending, according to Lailanie.

He fears being returned to cardinal Africa, wherever his begetter was killed, she said.

“People are frightened and group are hurting, but group are besides compelled to proceed to do nan activity and do nan correct point and effort to conflict for nan correct thing,” she said.